What new strain of leptospirosis?
News report takes doctor by surprise
JOHOR BARU: Hospital Sultanah Aminah director Dr Aman Rabu is shocked after reading a news report about a new strain of leptospirosis that was supposedly found in the body of a deceased tahfiz student.
Dr Aman said he did not receive any report from the hospital’s surgery and forensic unit detailing such findings from Mohamad Thaqif Amin Mohd Gaddafi’s post-mortem.
“Actually, the forensic report should not be made public as this case is pending investigation and has been brought to court,” he said yesterday.
He said it was difficult, at this point of time, to confirm whether there was such a new strain of leptospirosis found in the boy’s body.
A Malay daily quoted Mohamad Thaqif’s aunt Dzuraidah Ahmad, 38, as saying that the family was informed by a forensic specialist from the hospital that a new strain was found in the victim.
However, no name of the doctor was quoted in the article.
Dzuraidah said the information was conveyed to them over the telephone “on loudspeaker”.
The doctor said that normally, leptospirosis symptoms could be detected within a week but in her nephew’s case, it took a longer time as the virus attacked his leg first.
Johor Health, Environment, Information and Education Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said he, too, had yet to receive any report over the matter.
He said the news report was unfounded as there was no confirmation about a new strain.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Thaqif ’s mother Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, said the family wanted to take legal action after going through his post-mortem report, which suggested leptospirosis to be the cause of death.
The family has hired two lawyers to handle the case.
Felda Wani said she did not want to think too much about it anymore as it could not bring her son back.
“As parents, we want our child to rest in peace. I don’t want to keep thinking about this to the extent that we cannot go on with our lives,” said the secondary school teacher.
On April 19, Mohamad Thaqif was warded following alleged abuse by the religious school’s assistant warden, who is an exconvict.
His legs had to be amputated due to bacterial infection. It also spread to his right arm and other parts of his body.
He died on April 26.